CHALLENGER LEAGUE: Pen Mar softball team takes part in special game

Helping people is what makes life rewarding. And, the evening of Friday, May 17 was extremely rewarding for a dedicated group of people that touched the lives of numerous children.

Helping people is what makes life rewarding. And, the evening of Friday, May 17 was extremely rewarding for a dedicated group of people that touched the lives of numerous children.Joseph Brown, manager of the Pen Mar Joe Corbi’s 18U softball team, and his team showed their support of the Pen Mar Challenger League at a game at the Pen Mar Youth League field in Blue Ridge Summit.“A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to watch a Challengers game one Saturday morning and to our surprise, there were only 10 children playing,” Brown said. “The stands were practically empty and the buddies/volunteers ont he field were coaches or families. We asked the coaches where all the children, spectators and coummnity volunteers were and their comments were simply, ‘We don’t know. The numbers have been decreasing over the past few years.’”Brown and others are hoping this changes. Here are his thoughts about the game of May 17 and his hopes that the Challenger League will become a staple of the community going forward.

Q&A with Joseph Brown

How did the Challengers Division come about?

The Little League Challenger Division was established in 1989 as a separate division to enable boys and girls with physical and mental challenges to enjoy the game of baseball. One of the benefits is that it encourages the use of “buddies” for the Challenger players. The buddies assist the Challenger players on the field, but whenever possible, encourage the players to bat and make plays themselves.

How did the Pen Mar Challenger Division come about?

In 2004, Mark McLaughlin and the late Ed Barnett felt there was a need to have a Challengers Little League team at the Pen Mar Youth League and WASHS student Jesse Miller, 17 at the time, made it happen as her senior project. In 2008, Extreme Makeover came to Quincy Township for the Drumm family, who were heavily involved in the Challenger League at the time. At that time, we had about 25 children involved in the league before the show. In 2009, we had about 50 children participating in the games. We believe this proves many parents didn’t know about this wonderful program and this national exposure provided the opportunity to get the word out.

What is the current status of the Pen Mar Challenger Division?

We only have 22 children registered and only have an average of maybe 12 children that show up to play. At the beginning of this season, newly-appointed VP of Softball, Holly Frazer, challenged the softball management staff to try to get our girls involved in the Challenger buddy system. What an awesome idea, and I immediately brought this to the attention of my team and coaching staff.

Talk about Friday, May 17.

It was a night that will be rememberd by many families and children. Twelve remarkable young women from the Pen Mar Joe Corbi’s 18U softball team gave up their Friday night to brighten the lives of 15 outstanding and remarkable children and their families. These young women jumped right in making friends with these children, helping them on and off the field, as well as laughing and smiling without anyone providing instructions. I’ve known these girls for many years and I am glad I was able to share this experience with them. There were many moments during the game that left me speechless and had to walk away to collect my thoughts and composure.The young ladies that volunteered helped with batting, running bases, fielding and, basically whatever needed done, even if that meant writing their names in the dirt, playing in the grass, talking to the players, etc. There was so much laughter and smiling from all the girls and the players, not to mention the families of all involved, including the PMYL Board of Directors.

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